Hog oiler



March 4, 1958 Filed Aug. 8, 1955 MMM H. H TATGE HOG OILER 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENToR.

( Elige l BY I v 2,825,305 'Patented Mal-.4, 195s ,Spitatesp- ,Patent HOG OILER l Harlan H. Tatge, Herington, Kaus. Application August 8, 1956, Serial'No. 602,712 3 Claims. (Cl. 119-1S7) This invention relates to new and useful improvements in devices for applying an oil containing and insecticide to the hides of hogs or cattle, and relates particularly to that class of applicators characterized by the provision of an applicator member kept saturated or covered with the insecticide treated oil, and conveniently placed so that the oil will be transferred to the hides of the animals as they instinctively rub themselves against it.

The principal objects of this invention are the provision of an applicator unit which is extremely durable, being substantially impervious to wearing by the coarse hair and bristles of the animals, which is formed of steel or otherhard metal and which will nevertheless be kept covered with a substantially uniform coating of oil at all times so as to be ready for use, which will not become fouled by mud or other foreign matter which may be rubbed thereon, and which is very sanitary and can be easily cleaned.

Other objects are simplicity and economy of construction, eliciency and dependability of operation, and flexibility of application.

With these objects in view, as well as other objects which will appear in the course of the specification, reference will be had to the drawing, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a side elevational view of a hog oiler embodying the present invention, shown attached in operative position to a fence post, and

Figs. 2 and 3 are enlarged fragmentary sectional views taken respectively on lines II-II and III-III of Fig. l, with parts left in elevation and partially broken away.

Like reference numerals apply to similar parts throughout the several views, and the numeral 2 applies to an angle-iron frame including an upright vertical standard 4, a horizontal base member 6 attached at one end to the lower end of standard 4 as by rivets 8, and a horizontal arm 10 fixed at one end to the upper end of standard 4 as by rivets 12, and extending from said standard in the same direction as base member'. Standard 4 is perforated as 14 to receive screws 16, whereby the standard may be lixedly secured to a fence post 18 or the like. Base member 6 is adapted to contact the ground throughout its length, and is provided at its outer end with a hole 20 for receiving a stake 22 driven into the ground, whereby the frame is secured against movement.

The actual oil applicator unit includes a helical steel spring 24 which is disposed obliquely so as to extend between the outer end portion of base 6 and the inner end portion of arm 10. At its lower end, said spring is formed to present a hook 26 which is engaged in a bolt hook 28, said bolt hook being secured by nut 30 in a suitable bracket 32 welded to base 6. At its upper end, the spring has a threaded plug 34 screwed therein,.the spaces between successive convolutions of the spring serving as threads for receiving said plug. Said plug has an axial aperture 36 formed therethrough for a purpose to be described. Formed integrally with said plug is a yoke 38having spaced apart arms 40. Threaded in the outer end of 24 may be adjusted at will.

prevented by a plate 50 xed thereto and extending parallel to the axis thereof. Said plate is disposed in planar sliding contact with a second plate S2 which is xed to arm 10 by bolt 54.

A tank 56 containing the insecticide oil is supported freely in a suitable bracket 58 xed to arm 10. Said tank, which conveniently may be the container in which the oil is purchased, is provided adjacent its upper side with an ordinary screw cap 60 in which is interconnected a flexible metal conduit 62. Said conduit is led downwardly through a positioning hole 64 formed in arm 10, then downwardly between arms 40 Yof yoke 38 and through aperture 36 of plug 34, terminating in the upperv end portion of spring 24 as indicated in Fig. 2. Extending through said conduit is a wick 66 which extends through said conduit and is of sutiicient length to reach to the bottom of tank 56. Threaded into spring 24and extending substantially the full length thereof, is a smaller helical spring 68. Spring 68 isforrned of a smaller diameter of spring wire than spring 24, and is so ,proportioned that each convolution thereof substantially contacts thetwoadjacent convolutions of spring 24,.as:

shown.

In use, it will be seen that insecticide oil is conducted by wick 66 from tank S6 through conduit 62, and is dripped slowly into the upper end of the applicator formed by springs 24 and 68. A dripping rate Vof one drop about every 20-40 seconds has been found satisfactory for most circumstances, but obviously the dripping rate may be regulated by changing the viscosity of the oil used,-or by using wicks of dierent densities and huid-conduction properties.

Oil entering at the top of applicator unit 24-68 will of course ow downwardly through the springs by gravity, and will be caused to follow the convolutions of the springs circumferentially around the springs by capillary action in the narrow spaces between the convolutions of the springs. Thus the entire surfaces of the springs are evenly coated with oil which will be transferred to the hides of animals rubbing themselves thereagainst. The outer surface of spring 24 will be coated with oil despite the fact that said spring is shown as closed with the successive convolutions in engagement, since even a closed spring is rarely so perfectly formed that there is a true and continuous line contact between the convolutions thereof. Actually such contact is only intermittent, leaving minute spaces between the convolutions of the spring along the major portion of its length, said spaces being ample to permit the passage of oil to the external surface of the spring. Moreover, if it should happen that there is a solid line contact between convolutions along any substantial portion of the length of the spring, so that any substantial portion of the external surface is not continuously bathed with oil, screw 42 may be turned to exert greater tension on spring 24, whereby the convolutions thereof will be slightly spaced apart.

The applicator has been found to function fairly etticiently with spring 24 only, spring 68 being omitted. However, without spring 68 there is a tendency for the oil to concentrate along the side of the spring which isv lower due to the oblique position thereof, leaving the upper side with an inadequate oil coating. The use of spring 68 provides a much evener coating of oil around the entire circumference of the spring. This is believed due to the fact that the use of spring 68 provides three paths along whichpoil, is,.conducted. around the spring by`V capillary A duced.` Besides the efcient Vdistribution of oil already` discussed it will be seen that the oblique disposition of the `applicator permits the hog or other animal to rub virtually any portion of his body against the applicator, by either. entering between` the applicator spring 24` and standard 4,or by engaging the outer surface ofthe spring. The spring will yield resilientlyl to conform to the` contour of the animals tbody. The applicator is virtually irnpervious to wear by friction with the bristly hides of animals, whereas the usual rope or padded canvas applicators are rapidly worn out, and require frequent replacement. Itis not fouled or,` clogged by mud, .manure or the like whichoften renders brous applicators virtually useless. If such foreign matter does enter the springs, it falls freely therefrom at their lower ends, which are open as clearly shown in Fig. 3. When necessary,` the applicator is very easily disassembled for cleaning.`

While I have shown and described a specic embodiment of my invention, it will be apparent that numerous minor changes of structure and operation could be made without departing from the spirit of the invention as deiined by the scope of the appended claims.

What I claim .as new and desire to protect by Letters Patentis:

1. An insecticide applicator for livestock comprising a frame, a first helical member supported in said frame with one end vthereofhigher-than the other, a'seconclhelical member of smaller diameter than said iirst helical member threaded into said rst helical member, each convolution of said second helical member being retained between the two adjacent convolutions of said first helical member, and means loperable to deliver a liquid insecticide at a slow rate into the interior of said helical members at the upper ends thereof, whereby said insecticide will tlow downwardly through said helical members by gravity, thc convolutions of said lirst helical` member being minutcly spaced from each other and from the convolutions of said second helical member, whereby said liquid insecticide will ybe conveyed circumferentially around said helical members by capillary action between said convolutions, and whereby said insecticide willbeconveyed to and will cover the external surface of said irst helical member.

2. The structure as recited in claim l wherein both said trst and second helical members constitute resilient coil springs.

3. The structure4 as recited in claim l wherein both said first and second helical members constitute resilientcoil springs, and with theaddition of means operable to adjust the tension of the spring constituting said rst helical member.

References Cited in the ile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,360,007 Morrison Nov. 23, 1920 1,999,122 Clark et al. Apr. 23, 1935 2,690,162 Kremer Sept. 28, 1954 2,706,465 Caldwell Apr. 19, 1955 2,765,775 Kramer Oct. 9, 1956 

